Motor controller



Sept. 3, 1935 C STANSBURY MOTOR CONTROLLER Filed May 24, 1934 Whrw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to more particularly am m :4, 1934, Serial No. 721,213

IChhna control systems and to regulating systems for controlling the speed of motors.

Among the objects of the invention is the provision of means for maintainin the speed of motors constant at any desired preselected value.

Another object is to provide a Speed controlling device of the aforementioned character employ ing electronic tubes and controlling functions.

Another object is to permits of accurate under widely varying Another object is to ailfords accurate provide a controller which speed control of a motor load conditions.

provide a controller which Speed control under rapidly varying load conditions.

Another object is to provide a controller which accomplishes the aforementioned results when the motor operates at a relatively low speed.

Another object is to provide a controller which has no mechanically moving elements which are required to respond to the controlling impulses.

Another object is to provide a controller which requires no arc interrupting contacts to open and close circuits of high voltage or magnitude.

Another object is to provide a controller which is rapid and accurate in responsetochangesin operating conditions. Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

As is well known, the

rent motors may speed of alternating curbe v ed by varying the impedance of the primary or of the secondary cir- Various means have been proposed for the of the motor a so-called saturable reactor in whichtheimpedanceofacoilconnectedinan alternating curren posing upon the flux created by the t circuit is varied by superimenergy in the direct current circuit will supply a controlling effect sufllcient for controlling a very large motor.

In the means have been provided an induction motor to present system, automatic whereby cndendes of depart from a desired speed immediately ailect an electronic tube which, in turn, instantaneously varies the direct current of the saturable the motor charac reactortothcrehyvary teristictothmcheckdcparto perform the regulating tures of the motor speed from the desired value substantially in their incipiency.

The accompanying drawing is illustrative of one type of system embodying my invention. 7

In the drawing, lines L, I? and LP designate the terminals of a three phase alternating current supply system, I is a three phase slip ring type induction motor having a primary winding terminating in the terminals I, I", l= and secondary windings terminating in the slip rings I, I and I. Connected in seritxs with the secondary winding is a saturable reactor 2 having alternating current coils 2, I 'and 2, each of which is connected between two of the slip rings I, P and I respectively. The reactor also has a direct current coil 2 A gaseous electron tube 3 having a cathode 3-, an anode 3 and a grid 3 has its cathode connected to the line L while the anode 3 is connected to the anode 4 of a rectifier 4 whose cathode is connected to the line L. The direct current winding 2 is con nected in parallel with the rectifier l.

The system further includes a transformer 5 having a primary winding 5' which is connected across the lina I. and L and a secondary'winding 5 which is connected in series with a condenser 0 across the terminals of a resistor I. The terminal of the resistor I which is common with the condenser 6 is also connected to the grid 3'. I is a full wave ode and anodes l and 8. A transformer 9 has its primary winding 9 connected acros lines L and L The secondary winding 9" of transformer winding 9 has one end connected to the anode I" while its other end is connected to the commonterminaloftheresistor'landthewinding 5*. Between this latter terminal and the cathode I are connected a condenser II and in parallel therewith a resistor II. A third transformer llhasaprimarywinding ll-whichis40 connected in shtmt with a potentiometer resistor l5,thelatterbeingconnectedacrossthecoil2= while its II" is connected between the line]? and the anode 8. A condenser lland parallelresistor llarecon-ifi nected between the line L and the cathode I.

The system qierates in the following manner:

WhenthelinsI-HLF andLare energized the primary winding of'motor l receivs current and avoltageisinducedinthesecondarycircuitso that current flows through the windings 2-, 2' and 2 of the saturable reactor. The current through these windings depends upon the energizationoithewindimlttheimpedanceotthe wlmiingalfil andiincreanngwithdm rectifier having a eath- 30 l in load its secondary voltage ing current in the winding 2 In other words, the higher the current in the winding 2 the lower w'll be the impedance of the secondary circuit and the higher the motor speed for a given load. The current in the coil 1" is controlled by controlling the instantaneous voltage of the grid 3 during the positive half cycle of the voltage between the lines L and L during which the tube 3 permits current flow therethrough provided that the voltage of the grid 3 is more positive than the critical gnd voltage. The voltage of the grid ii with respect to the cathode 3 at any moment is the resultant of the instantaneous voltage across the resistor I, the condenser H and the condenser l3,-the three being in series. The voltage across the resistor I is a function of the voltage induced in the secondary winding 5 of the transformer 5 whose primary is connected across the lines L and L The condenser II is charged by a voltage impressed upon it by the secondary winding 9 of the transformer 9 through the electron tube 8, said voltage being proportional to the line voltage. The effective voltage of the condenser II is determined by the value of the resistance l2. By proper adjustment of this resistance and the condenser H the efiective voltage of the latter will attain a certain desired value at a given moment during the positive half cycle.

A voltage opposite to that of condenser H is impressed upon the condenser l3 through the secondary winding H) of the transformer l0 whose primary winding l0 is connected to the coil 2 of the motor through potentiometer Hi. This voltage is a function of the adjustment of the resistor l4 and of the condenser l3 and of the motor speed.

By varying the adjustment of the potentiometer 15 to which is connected the primary winding ll! of the transformer Ill the voltage impressed upon the winding Ill can be adjusted with respect to the relatively fixed voltage which is the resultant of that of the condenser II and impedance 1 so that the critical value of the grid voltage is attained during any desired moment of the positive half cycle of the voltage impressed upon tube-3 and thus the strength of the current which is passed by the tube and which flows through the winding 2 may be adjusted.

If for a given adjustment of the potentiometer IS the motor should slow down due to changes increases thereby increasing the voltage impressed upon the condenser I3 and making the grid 3 more positive. This increases the effective current through the coil 2 which, in turn, decreases the impedance of the coils 2 2 and 2 and causes the motor to speed up.

The rectifier 4 which is connected in parallel with the coil 2 to smooth out the oscillations of the current flowing therein in a well known manner may be omitted under certain conditions.

It will thus be seen that for any given adjustment of the potentiometer IS the system tends to maintain the speed of the motor constant, and that this speed may be varied between substantially zero and synchronous speed of the motor.

While I have shown the invention in connection with a wound rotor induction motor, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that it may be used with other types of motors and that the reactor 2 may be connected to either the primary or secondary circuit of such motors;

What I claim as new and desire to secure as Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a -motor, a saturable reactor in circuit with said motor and having a controlling winding, an electron tube in circuit with said winding and means responsive to an operating characteristic of said motor and connected to said tube to control the impedance of the latter in response to incipient variations of said operating characteristic.

2. In combination, a motor, a saturable reactor in circuit therewith and having a controlling winding, an electron tube in circuit with said winding and means connected to said motor to respond to an operating characteristic thereof and also connected to said tube to control its impedance in response to incipient variations of said operating characteristic.

3. In combination, a motor, a saturable reactor in circuit with a winding of said motor, an electron tube in circuit with the controlling winding of said reactor, and means connected to said motor and to said tube to impress upon the lat ter a control voltage varying in response to incipient variations of an operating characteristic of said motor, to thereby control the impedance of said tube.

4. In combination, an alternating current motor, a variable reactor having its alternating current winding connected in series with a winding of said motor, a gaseous electron tube in circuit with the direct current winding of said reactor, and means connected to said motor and to said tube, said means being responsive to an operating characteristic of said motor and adapted to control said tube in response to incipient variations of said operating characteristic.

5. In combination, a motor, a saturable reactor in circuit with a winding of said motor, an electron tube in circuit with the direct current winding of saidreactor and having a control electrode and means connected to said motor and to said control electrode to impress upon the latter a voltage varying in response to incipient variations of an operating characteristic of the motor, to thereby control the impedance of said tube.

6. In combination, an alternating current motor, a variable reactor having its alternating cur rent winding connected in series with a winding of said motor, an electron tube in circuit with the direct current winding of said reactor and having a control electrode and means connected to said motor and to said electrode,-said means being responsive to incipient variations of an operating characteristic of said motor and being adapted to impress upon said electrode a voltage varying with such operating characteristic.

7. In combination, a wound rotor induction motor, a variable reactor having its alternating current winding connected in series with the secondary circuit of said motor, a voltage supply, a gaseous electron tube in circuit with said supply and with the direct current winding of said reactor and. having a control electrode, an energy storage circuit, means to supply said circuit with a. voltage varying with the speed of said motor and means to impress the voltage of said energy storage circuit upon said control electrode to thereby vary the impedance of said tube in response-to incipient variations of the speed of the motor.

CARROLL STAN SBURY. 

